This Super Bowl Weekend, Fremont County Law Enforcement will be Looking for Drunk Drivers

(Fremont County, Wyo.) – From Friday through Sunday (Feb. 3-5), Fremont County law enforcement will be out looking for drunk drivers as part of a county-wide DWUI enforcement operation.

Football fans across the country will celebrate America’s most watched national sporting event, Super Bowl LI, on Sunday, Feb. 5. For many, the celebration will include drinking alcohol.

That’s why Fremont County law enforcement is teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a special Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk reminder to urge all football fans to call the right play on Super Bowl weekend by passing the keys to a sober driver before the drinking begins.

Drunk driving can be deadly. A driver is considered alcohol-impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, but even a small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction times enough to make driving unsafe. According to NHTSA in 2015, 10,265 people — 29 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States that year — were killed in crashes that involved an impaired driver.

“Super Bowl Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. If you want to be the MVP of Super Bowl LI, volunteer to be a designated driver to help your family and friends get home safely,” said Lt. Alan McOmie of the Lander Police Department. “Drunk driving only leads to disaster and tragedy. It is never worth the risk. If you do plan to drink, remember to pass the keys to the sober driver before kickoff.”

Designated sober drivers for Super Bowl weekend should refrain from drinking alcohol, and enjoy the game with food and non-alcoholic drinks instead. Designated sober drivers may tweet @NHTSAgov during Super Bowl LI to be featured on NHTSA’s national Wall of Fame.

Fremont County Law Enforcement recommends these safe alternatives to drinking and driving:

If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact Fremont County law enforcement at 332-5611 or 856-7200.

If you know people who are about to drive or ride after drinking, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to safely travel to where they are going.

Along with the enhanced enforcement effort, the Wyoming Highway Patrol is urging drivers to help keep Wyoming’s roadways safe by calling the Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately (REDDI) hotline number at 1-800-442-9090 to report suspected drunk drivers. Callers should be prepared to provide the dispatcher with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, there have been 5 fatalities on Wyoming roads thus far in 2017, as compared to 5 at this time in 2016.